Fall Into You
by LC-Lawliet
Summary: After all they've been through, they learned that the only stable thing they have in their lives is each other. But is it just a close friendship,or something more? Will they know before it's too late? Mello/Matt Better than it sounds! Please review!
1. Mello

**A/N: Hello there! This story marks my return to this website. Normally I don't support MelloxMatt, or any kind of yaoi, but for some reason this idea wouldn't leave me alone. Please Review! I love all kinds of constructive critisism, and I'd really like to know if this is a successful story!**

Fall into Me

Chapter One: Mello

For anyone, sickness and death are a topic not to be quickly brought up; a dark burden that each person prays will be put upon the shoulders of anyone but themselves. For some, said prayers are answered, but has any thought ever been given as to whom ends up with it? In this dark world, it seems to always be the innocents—the ones it would do most harm to. In many cases, children.

A young blonde boy sat quietly in the front pew of an old church, contemplating the very concept of religion. Lost in his thoughts, he had yet to take notice that his mother's casket had already been carried out; the few people that had bothered to attend the poor woman's funeral had already cleared out, not once giving any thought to her only son, left orphaned by her passing. All assuming someone else would take the responsibility; after all, it didn't affect their lives, so why should they stay?

"What did I do God?" The nine-year-old's voice finally sounded, "Why'd you have to take her away? All I asked you to do was to make her better! I was a good boy! I did everything I was told, I go to church and say my prayers, but it's never enough is it?" his voice growing louder, resonating through the empty church as he trembled uncontrollably as heavy sobs of sadness and anger rippled through his chest.

For over a year he had prayed to God, begging he help his mother get better, yet day by day he was forced to watch as the cancer took its toll, destroying her a little at a time. He could only stand by and watch as she wasted away until she finally passed, just like his father a few years prior.

"Mihael is it?" A low voice sounded from the back, startling the child. "It's time to go." He tried to comfort him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Lemme go!" Mihael retorted, pulling away. "I don't know you."

"My name is Roger, I am the head of the Wammy's House Orphanage for Gifted Children, your mother contacted us when she was first diagnosed. We've had our eye on you for quite a while."

"So you're a stalker then," he sneered.

"Mihael, it would be easier if you'd just cooperate." Roger replied sternly.

"Don't call me Mihael! Only my mother could call me that!"

"Then what should I call you?" The grown man asked, taking the boy's arm.

"Mello. That's what my friends at school call me. Just Mello."

"Alright then Mello, if you're ready, we should get going."

"o-okay," he pushed a few wisps of blonde hair out of his face.

"Do you need to get anything from your—"

"No, let's just go." The sudden change in his demeanor was almost startling; he was suddenly so blunt and apathetic. The caretaker only nodded as he lead the child out the door, trying to shield them both from the rain as they finally reached a gray car idling by the front entrance.

Nothing more was said for the remainder of the drive, despite Roger making several attempts to speak to the grieving young boy. He'd only ignore the older man, arms crossed, staring out the window, looking rather unimpressed. Finally, after a long drive, they had finally reached the other side of Winchester, the boy's eyes growing wide at the sight of the large mansion with elaborate gates and stained glass windows with a marble statue out front, a large group of children standing out on the lawn, curiously awaiting the orphanage's newest arrival.

"What is this place?" young Mello asked in awe.

"Your new home." Roger replied, offering him a warm, welcoming smile.

**A/N: Please Review! Next chapter to come soon. **


	2. Matt

Chapter 2: Matt

He gazed out the window half-heartedly at all of the children crowded out on the front lawn, watching curiously as Roger opened the car door for the newest addition to the household. For the young redhead, the interest of this new face had died away almost instantly the very moment he was told he would have to share his room with the newcomer, not that it had amounted to very much beforehand.

He wasn't one for people, not at all. Two years had passed since he had been taken in by the orphanage, and he still had yet to make one friend. The eight-year-old noted that the other children had cleared from the lawn, the last few that trailed behind shuffled into the main entrance. It wasn't long before the new boy had found his way to the bedroom with Roger in tow.

"Mello, this is your room, and this is Mail, he is going to be your roommate." Roger began.

"For the last time, call me_ Matt_," The redhead grumbled quietly, turning his attention back to the Gameboy resting in his hands, his brow furrowed in his regained concentration as he bit his lip, almost glaring at the screen.

"I'll leave you to get acquainted then." Roger sighed, patting Mello on the shoulder before disappearing out into the hall. The blonde stared at his new roommate, a small grimace of displeasure tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"What are you looking at?" the boy known as Matt grunted, glancing up after feeling the new boy's eyes lingering on him.

"So…uh…"

"Let's get a few things straight," Matt began. "This side of the room is mine. Don't touch anything on my side. Don't nag me, don't irritate me. We'll get along just fine as long as you keep your face out of my face. Got it?"

"Fine, fine, I got it." Mello rolled his eyes. "Jerk…" he muttered under his breath.

"Good," the other boy nearly growled, not looking up from his game.

"What is your problem?" Mello piped up, he never let the kids in school push him around, and he wasn't about to start.

"Oh nothing, except that I'm stuck here at this institution where they groom us to be like some guy they call L, my parents are dead, and now I have to share my room with one of the ass-kissers that live here. And on top of it, I get the one that looks like a girl.

Mello's dark eyes seemed to flash with rage as he snatched the handheld from the younger boy's hands. "Let's get one thing straight. I'm not gonna pity you. I'm stuck here too, everyone here is here because their parents are dead, and I'm stuck sharing a room with you; a self-centered prick that thinks he's better than everyone else when really he's the only one still wallowing in his self-pity. Well the pity party is over princess."

"You better take that back or I'll make you wish you'd never been born!" Matt roared, lunging at the blonde boy.

"I'm not afraid of you!" Mello exclaimed defiantly, side-stepping away from the attack. The redhead couldn't stop his momentum in time, and slammed into the wall. He trembled with rage as he turned once again to the shaggy haired blonde.

Before long the two were rolling on the floor, punching, biting, kicking, hair-pulling, whatever they could think of that would inflict pain on the other. Matt pinned Mello to the floor, about to deliver a blow that would more than likely break the child's nose when the door swung open.

"BOYS! Enough!" Roger exclaimed, stepping in to pull the two apart. "Opposite corners. Now." He ordered, raising his voice even more, the two startled children quickly obeying. "You're going to stay there until you learn to get along."

"He started it!" Mello argued.

"I don't care who started it, I'm going to finish it. Now stay there until you can be civil to each other."

"Well…We're going to be here until we're eighty…" Matt huffed.

"Any more smart remarks and you'll have dish duty for a week." Roger warned. The redhead only grunted in reply. "Now stay there until you're called down for supper. We will discuss further punishment later." He said. "And I mean it. Stay there. Or you'll regret it." He added, leaving.

"Like you're gonna know..." Mello muttered after he had left the room.

"Oh trust me. He will, I don't know how, but we can't get away with _anything _around here. He's good." Matt said, plopping onto the ground. As the minutes ticked by slowly, both children began to squirm, trying to find anything that could occupy their minds. Never in his life had Mello paid such attention to the detail in a wall. Matt began to regret not grabbing his Gameboy upon being ordered into the corner, with nothing but a wall to stare at and a carpet to pick at, time seemed to stand still only to torment him more.

"Look…let's not fight." Mello finally said. "I'm not being sappy. But if we agree to disagree, it'll keep us out of the corner…next time if you wanna fight, find a lookout first."

Matt tried to hold back a laugh. "You're kinda funny kid."

**A/N: I always pictured Mello to be a bit older than Matt…  
Chapter 3 to come soon, Please review and tell me what you think.**


	3. Thunder

**A/N: Thanks to my reviewer! (you know who you are) I've got the rest of this story planned out by now.**

Chapter 3: Thunder

As more time slowly crept by, the punishment began to seem much less daunting. One boy would occasionally break the silence by making some sarcastic remark or complaint, causing the other to snicker. Finally, after it seemed like eternity, Mello had summoned up the courage to turn around, studying the younger boy more closely. His hair was a dark red, contrasting greatly with his rather pale skin. His clothes hung loose against his thin frame, but what was really odd was the pair of oversized orange-tinted goggles that hung from his neck by the strap. Feeling that he was being watched, the redhead turned around, his emerald green eyes locking with Mello's deep blue ones.

"What?" Matt asked casually.

"What's with the goggles?" Mello inquired, still staring at them.

"They belonged to my older brother…when I still had one…" Matt said quietly.

"Oh…" Mello said quietly, deciding it best not to pry.

"So uh…sorry for being a jerk I guess…" Matt muttered. "I guess if we're gonna be stuck together here until graduation, we might as well not hate each other."

"Sounds alright. Doesn't mean I have to like you though." The older boy said bluntly.

"Where would the fun be in that?"

The sound of footsteps outside the door silenced them. "Well. It's nice to see you two getting along." Roger said, brushing off the sleeve of his suit jacket. "If you promise that there won't be any more incidents like that, I'll let you off with a warning." He added. "Now, dinner is being served in the dining hall, go on, best not be late."

"I have to admit. You're different." Matt said, jamming his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he showed the new boy the way to the dining hall. "Most people around here are so boring, no real fire in 'em, I figured you'd be a robot like all of them."

"I've never been like most kids." Mello said darkly. "And I don't plan to be. The other kids might put up with your stuff, but I'm not going to. There's more from where that black eye came from."

"…just don't touch my stuff." Matt rolled his eyes.

"In trouble again Matt?" A girl in paint-covered overalls sneered as they entered the large, elaborate dining room.

"Shove it Linda, it's none of your business." He shot back.

"I haven't introduced myself. I'm Linda." The girl persisted, extending a hand to Mello. Mello glanced down at her hand before turning away, more focused on the large table filled with the biggest array of food he'd ever seen, already being torn at by the hungry children. "That's rude!" Linda called after him.

"Don't care. I'm hungry." Mello said, taking his seat, not hesitating to begin stuffing his face with the first thing he could get his hands on. The mahogany-haired girl huffed, crossing her arms before stomping back to her own chair. "What are you staring at?" he grumbled at a pale, white-haired kid sitting across from him.

"You can slow down. Nobody is going to take your food from you," his blank eyes seemed to avoid Mello's, which only irritated him further.

"Near, don't try, he's just a jerk." Linda pouted.

As weeks passed, Mello's social interactions did not change, the slightest thing would spark anger in him. Not that it bothered him, he never really depended on anyone before, he had to fend for himself after his father had died, and he had been taking care of himself mostly, with his mother being too sick to do very much. He didn't need anyone, and he was determined to keep it that way.

He lay awake, rolling over to glance at the alarm clock. The fluorescent blue numbers read out 2:00. Normally he'd be asleep by this point. It was almost routine. School classes, studying, and more studying. Upon hearing about the detective L, and that the orphanage found the children ages 8 and up to qualify for the running of the great L's successor, he had to ensure that he was the best. The first rankings would go up in a few weeks based on grades and test scores. He had to win, it was all he knew.

But how would this disruption in his routine affect his schoolwork? He couldn't risk falling asleep in class. _Nonsense…_he thought. With all the sugar in his diet, it would surely keep him awake. A white flash crackled across the sky, followed by a loud rumbling. A thunderstorm, and by the sounds of it, it was getting pretty close. Perhaps that was what had woke him.

Muffled by the rumbling and the sound of rain against the window panes, he heard something else, shallow, ragged breathing. Mello sat up, confused, glancing around the room. Matt was tossing and turning, panting and groaning in his sleep.

"Matt." Mello whispered. "Maaaatt." But to no avail, the redhead continued to kick and thrash about, Mello swore he could almost hear a whimper escape his roommate's lips. Rather annoyed, or maybe even concerned, the blonde took aim and lobbed his pillow at the sleeping boy; suddenly, he quieted down. "Matt. What are you doing?" he demanded.

"N-nothing." Matt sat up and hugged his knees.

"Sure." Mello snorted.

"Okay okay, I don't do thunderstorms." He whispered. "It brings back memories."

"Oh…" the 9 year old said quietly. He knew all too well about things of the sort. A particularly loud crack of thunder made both boys jump as the wind seemed to pick up, rain now pounding the windows. The shaking redhead crawled under his blankets, jamming his eyes shut.

"W-why don't you come over here…just for a few minutes." Mello said quietly, a bit uneasy himself. He'd almost forgotten he no longer had his mother to comfort him when we was afraid. Without hesitation, the other boy crawled back into Mello's bed, draping the blankets around his trembling figure.

"Matt?" Mello asked once the younger boy had settled.

"yeah?"

"Tell anyone about this, and I'll throw your Gameboy off the fourth floor balcony."

**A/N: I don't know why, but I just see this happening. **

**REVIEWS=LOVE 3**


	4. Chocolate

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I personally don't like this chapter, but I wanted a little more Mello-Matt kiddie fluff before any action…  
Also, I'm happy to say I'm cosplaying Matt for Otakon this year!**

Chapter 4: Chocolate

Dawn seemed to come rather quickly, fortunately for Mello. He hadn't gotten very much (if any) sleep since waking; Matt on the other hand, was clung to Mello's arm, softly snoring, and, much to Mello's disdain, drooling as well. The older boy's arm tingled something fierce, asleep from the circulation being cut off. Finally, Mello had had enough.

"Matt!" Mello grumbled, trying to pull his arm away from the sleeping boy's grasp. "Get. Up. Matt."

No response.

"Uh…uhh…"Mello bit his lip, searching every corner of his brain for something that would relate to Matt to get him to wake up. "There's an Articuno!"

"Wha?" Matt jolted up, his hand already reaching for his Gameboy. "…oh…hi there." He said, smiling awkwardly as he tried to figure out why he was asleep in his roommate's bed. "Oh…right…the storm…by the way…you're really warm." He added.

"Just get off me. Now." Mello said through gritted teeth. Without another word, the redhead leapt out of the bed, grabbing his oversized goggles from the nightstand and fastening them in their rightful place around his neck.

"Thanks Mello." He said quietly, avoiding eye contact with the blonde. "I'll find some way to repay you."

"Just remember what I said." Mello warned, gesturing toward the blue handheld that was Matt's most prized possession. "And don't get used to it. It was a one-time only thing." He added, picking up his math textbook.

"Why are you studying? There's no class today, it's Saturday." Matt pointed out, switching on his Gameboy.

"I know _that._" Mello snapped. "Doesn't mean you shouldn't study. There are still ranks to worry about."

"Well..." Matt shrugged, "I doubt L is going to want a successor under ten years old anyway…so why not worry about it 'til later?" he didn't look up as the score of Pokémon Blue's opening theme played.

"I'm being beaten by NEAR. He's like…SIX." Mello grumbled.

"So?" the redhead flopped back on his bed, sprawling out like a rag doll.

"So? It's embarrassing!"

The daylight hours flew by and soon, daylight began to dwindle. Neither boy had stopped what they had begun so early that morning. Matt was about to challenge the Elite Four whilst Mello was on the brink of pulling his neatly-groomed hair out over the formulas for quadratic equations. Neither had left, even for meals. "Well." Matt yawned after saving and shutting off his game, "I'm feeling kinda hungry…I think I'm going to head down to the kitchen and get myself a snack."

"But dinner was hours ago…" Mello said.

"So?" Matt adjusted his sleeve.

"So they won't give you anything, Moron." Mello mumbled.

"Give me anything? Why would I count on them? I'll get it myself." The redhead proclaimed.

"But it's not allowed! If you get caught it could affect your rank." Mello insisted.

"I don't care about ranks. Besides, from what I heard, L's pretty sneaky. Maybe he'd respect my valiant effort."

"Well then…" the blonde said. "I'm coming with you…do they have any chocolate? I haven't had any in so long…"

"They have everything you can think of." Matt smirked as he led his older friend down to the kitchen. Stainless steel fixtures aligned the walls, pots and pans hung immaculately from their designated places on the rack, and in the very back was the pantry. It was almost as big as one of the dormitories of Wammy's House. Shelves upon shelves lined the walls, reaching almost to the ceiling of the pantry, stocked with anything imaginable, canned goods, flour, every spice one could think of, and on one of the highest shelves, lay Mello's prize: a crate full of packages containing chocolate bars. His favorite.

"…now how to get up there…" Mello whispered, turning to Matt, who was already stuffing his face, spooning peanut butter right out of the jar until moving on to a can of tuna once he had emptied the entire jar. "You eat like a pig."

"Well _excuuuuse_ me Princess!" Matt rolled his eyes, climbing the shelf like a monkey-child. "This is how you do it. Don't worry, I do this all the time." He snagged ahold of a 10-pack of chocolate bars, one of the many in the crate; it was almost impossible to tell the difference of their absence. Without another word, he tossed the sugary treats down to the blonde below and began his decent, slipping and falling back halfway down.

"Ow…" he gasped after landing flat on his back on the hard linoleum. "T-old ya I'd find a way to repay you." He offered Mello a troublesome smirk.

"You never mention nearly killing yourself in the process." Mello tried to suppress a laugh.

"I think I'm really hurt…"

"Well…if you get caught, don't say I told you so. I'm sure as heck not carrying you." The older boy said, unwrapping one of the chocolate bars as he turned to leave.

"You suck…I hope you know that." Matt coughed, finally managing to get back onto his feet. "But…even so. I'm glad I have a friend like you."

Mello froze and broke into a coughing fit as he nearly choked on his precious candy. "F-friend?"

**A/N: Please, please, pleaaase review!**


	5. Friend?

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I've been really busy with school stuff…I have 3 projects to do, AT THE SAME TIME. Oi. **

Chapter 5: Friend?

"_F-friend?" _the word stuck in his throat. Had this person, whom he had only known for a short time, really just call him his _friend? _Mello stood unable to move; the shock from that one word rendered him 'fully paralyzed, unable to process the thought. He hadn't been friends with boys he'd known since birth, yet after just a few short weeks; this strange child was calling him _friend. _

"Mello…you okay?" Matt cocked his head to the side, looking up at the older boy like a confused puppy.

"You…you called me your...f-friend." Mello said quietly.

"Well yeah…I mean, I know we didn't start off too great, but there's something about you that entertains me. You have spunk, you still have a personality. Something most of the kids that came here really young have lost already. Heck, even the ones our age or the ones that came in late are starting to change into robots; give 'em a rank and they suddenly turn into dull, super-smart zombie. But you…you're different, you fight, you yell, you do whatever it takes to get what you want, and don't let the administration here try to change that. I wish I could do that…I admire you, Mello." The redhead said with a sheepish grin, embarrassed.

Mello untensed slightly; finally he was getting some of the respect he deserved, so what if Matt was a little irritating at times, and careless when it came to his rank. He still had a point. He was the only kid at Wammy's Mello could relate to in terms of emotion, hell, the kid was even sticking his neck out to help Mello get some food since he had missed dinner. The blonde may not have understood what this "Friend" thing was, but now he had one, and he was rather glad that it was Matt.

"You too," Mello said finally after a long period of silence. "Now can we get moving? I think my chocolate is starting to melt."

Not another word was said as the two swiftly made their way through the maze-like corridors of the orphanage in the dark, bursting into laughter as they finally made it into their room.

"That was…fun." Mello gasped as he tried to catch his breath.

"See? And as long as we don't say anything, they won't know." The younger boy smirked, brushing his russet-colored bangs out of his eyes.

"Yeah, sorry for letting you fall back there," Mello replied, his blue eyes avoiding Matt's. Matt only shrugged, giving him a 'don't-worry-about-it' look.

The years passed, and the two boys only grew closer through their wild antics, whether it stealing one of Near's toys and hiding it just out of his reach, midnight kitchen raids, as usual, Matt would voluntarily take the fall, whenever Mello would ask, he would only say "because your rank means so much to you."

That never changed. Even three years later, at twelve years old, winning was an obsession for the blonde. He had not moved from second place. Always coming in second to the exact. Same. Person.

To add insult to injury, it was Near who was always in first. The quiet albino boy that was two years younger, those two short years made all the difference to Mello. Whether it be two years or twenty, five points or fifty points, Near was always winning, and that was unacceptable. It became all Mello could think about. Matt seemed to be phased out as exam dates drew closer, his friend always being 'too busy' studying to play a game of Super Smash Bros. with him or to go pranking.

He would scold him from not caring about his rank, or for ditching class.

"All I'm saying is, maybe you'd be respected like me if you'd stop being a worthless ass and actually do something." Mello roared at him one day for hiding his chemistry book in an attempt to get his best friend to take a break for sake of his sanity. The words cut him deeply.

"Really," Matt snapped. "For someone so obsessed with becoming the next L, you sure don't pay the hell attention." He shot back before storming off.

He'd been in third place for months, his name right below Mello's.

Mello never noticed.

**A/N: OOOOH what will happen next? I couldn't let it all be fluffy.  
Review for next chapter!**


	6. Worry

**A/N: Here's Chapter 6! As of thus far, I have most of this story planned out. **

Chapter 6: Worry

The hours ticked by, no sign of Matt. _"Such a kid…"_ Mello scoffed under his breath, still fuming from the argument. But when Matt wasn't at lunch, or dinner, the anger had diminished with remorse taking its. Where was Matt? Why hadn't he returned to their room yet? Had he while Mello was in the dining hall during meal time? Possible, but highly unlikely.

His GameCube sat untouched, still on and paused, Matt hadn't bothered to turn it off when he'd stormed out. Mello didn't dare switch it off. Nothing pissed Matt off more than someone shutting off his beloved games before he could save his progress. Mello had already made that mistake once before; and with the current situation, Matt was already angry, and seeing how Mello knew nothing about The Legend of Zelda or videogames and electronics in general; shutting off the game would definitely only make things worse for Mello.

The sun set and his red-headed roommate _still_ hadn't returned. Studying became almost impossible, Mello was too distracted. Every time he began to focus on geometry, his thoughts would drift back to the argument, and then to his worry for Matt, or his mind coming up with every morbid scenario possible, only making Mello's worry multiply. _'He's probably in the janitor's closet playing Pokémon again or something…' _that would be something Matt would do, especially when he was avoiding someone, but then why was Mello's stomach in knots? Something was wrong, it had to be.

Finally, once he had reached the point where he was just about tearing out some of his blonde locks when he decided enough was enough. He slammed his textbook shut and tossed it aside, not caring where it landed. "I have to know…" he muttered, starting down the hall. If anyone knew where Matt was, it would be Roger. With all the surveillance and security technology at Wammy's, it was highly improbable, if not downright impossible to get around security measures. The staff knew that they were dealing with geniuses, and because of that they were going to employ every measure possible it seemed, so that no child at Wammy's, no matter how smart or talented, would be able to outsmart the Wammy's staff. After all, Wammy's House only hired the best of the best, for those exact reasons.

When he reached the large oak door, he didn't even bother to knock, instead, Mello barged right in, noisily making his way over to the large, cluttered desk. "Roger." He began. The suit-clad man glanced up, seeming not even the least bit surprised.

"I take it you're looking for Matt." Roger said calmly.

"How did you—.."

"Mello, you two are practically attached at the hip. Half the boy's dormitory heard your argument, so it's only natural that I would find out almost immediately afterward. That knowledge combined with the look in your eyes says it all." Mello balled his fists and gritted his teeth to the point where he was sure they'd shatter under the pressure. Roger knew what he wanted, yet instead of giving him the answer he needed, he was wasting Mello's time with his worthless banter.

"Well?" Mello demanded , raising his voice with his impatience.

"You have a right to be worried." Roger's voice lowered.

"Wh-what do you mean?" the blonde's clammy hands unclenched as he eased himself into the rickety chair in front of Roger's desk, his blue eyes wide.

"_Mello, there's been an accident…." _

**A/N: I wonder what happened to Matt?  
What do you think of the story so far?  
What is your favorite kind of cake?  
Review?**


	7. Promise

**Sorry for the wait. I haven't had very much time to write out this chapter with studying for finals and whatnot. But in compensation, this chapter is longer :3 enjoy!**

Chapter 7: Promise

_"Mello, there's been an accident…." _The words made his heart stop.

"W-what do you mean?" Mello demanded, his light blue eyes widened.

"He was on one of the trips out to town with a few other students when their car was struck head on. It caught on fire. The other children had only minor injuries, the driver died instantly, and Matt was trapped inside, he's still in the hospital…I think they have his condition stabilized though.

"Oh god…" it all seemed so unreal. Had Matt have stayed if he hadn't been such a jerk? The possibilities were killing him, the sense of not knowing gnawing away at his thoughts.

"We were going to go check on his condition…normally we don't let any of the children come with us in an event like this, but, since you two are so close…would you like to come with us?" Roger asked, straightening his tie as an excuse not to meet the boy's eyes.

"Y-yeah…" Mello replied, "Thank you Roger."

"Don't tell anyone. The last thing we need at this time are other students complaining about the special privileges." Not that Mello would, he hardly associated with any of the children at Wammy's besides Matt. The caretaker sighed, worry lines creasing his forehead. It was never good when one of his charges was hurt, but it was even worse when it was a case like Matt and Mello. Many of the children at Wammy's had lost everything, but were able to establish many friendships with the other children. But with a case like Mello, it was harder. Mello wasn't as social as most of the kids at the orphanage, and seeing that many of them were not exactly social butterflies, it said a lot. Matt was Mello's only friend, the only person who mattered in his life. If Matt were to die, Mello would be alone again.

The very same thought had just settled itself into the blonde's mind. He and Matt had become so close in the three years they had lived together. Mello could no longer imagine how his life would be without Matt. After excusing himself to his room under the excuse of wanting to put on a sweatshirt before they went to the hospital, he threw himself on his knees and began to pray.

"Look, uh, God? I know I don't usually do this…and I know I'm not so clear about this whole religion thing yet…but…please…if you are real…and out there somewhere in some other dimension…please, don't let Matt die. It's my fault for being so obsessed with my schoolwork…I made him mad and he left…he'd still be okay if it weren't for me. Please God. Please let Matt be okay so I can fix this…Amen."

He found himself shaking. Ever since the day his mother died, Mello hadn't believed in God or religion or hope. Only in solid fact and evidence. But at that moment, he felt completely hopeless; terrified to lose what little he had left in the word. Maybe this time, things would be different. Maybe this time, God would listen.

The room was silent save for the humming of a respirator and the rhythmic, yet monotonous beeping of a heart monitor. The red haired boy groaned before trying to move, soon giving up on the attempt. He couldn't see, due to the bandages wrapped around his face. But he could tell where he was, if not from the sounds of the machines, the overpowering scent of Lysol that came from every direction could only mean one thing: he was in the hospital.

"Good to see you're awake Mr. Jeevas." Matt was rather confused. How could she tell he was awake if she couldn't see his eyes? He had to refrain from laughing at himself remembering that his attempt at moving probably gave it away. He had no doubt that the pain medication was working.

"Y-eah." He eventually managed to say, his dry throat making his voice into a garbled rasp.

"Someone is here to see you…shall I let them in?" the nurse continued, her cheery demeanor never fading.

"Y-eah." He heard to door creak open.

"Matt!" Mello rushed to his bedside. "I-I'm so sorry! It's all my fault…" he trailed off.

"Mells…shut the hell up." Matt attempted his best smirk. "It wasn't your fault…it was mine…if not the asshole that crossed over the lines." Even in all his pain, Matt was still the jokester.

"How do you feel?" Roger asked as he, too, entered.

"Numb…thirsty…" Matt replied. "The nurse went to get me some…can't seem to find her though." He smiled again, attempting to laugh.

"Matt…this isn't something to joke about." Mello reprimanded.

"Well. They do say humor is the best medicine." Roger attempted to smile. "Well, I think I'll leave you two alone for a bit, I have to go discuss the bills and report this to Watari…"

"So…ever been on fire?" Matt said casually once he heard the door shut behind Roger. "It sucks like hell." He continued when Mello didn't answer. The blonde looked furious.

"Is this some kind of joke to you? You could have DIED Matt! Do you not know how badly you're hurt?" he scolded.

"Well…with these painkillers they have me on, I feel pretty damn good."

"MATT!"

"Mells. You need to take it easy." The broken boy said. "I'm fully aware I could have died, but I didn't. I figure, enough shit's happened to me, what happens, happens. If I'm meant to die, I will. Apparently I wasn't. Life's too short to be worrying about what's safe and shit. I'd rather have a short, fun life than a long dull one. Lighten up and let me laugh."

"You have no idea…" Mello's voice finally broke. "Did you ever realize what my life would be like if I lost you? You're the only friend I have! You're the only person I can turn to for anything…I don't know what I'd do without you Matt." The tears he'd been trying to hold back finally spilled over, a few falling onto Matt's bandages.

"M-Mells…I didn't know you cared so much…" Matt whispered.

"I do. You're my best friend."

"And that's never gonna change. I'm gonna promise you something. I'm always gonna be here for you, okay? You don't need to worry about me." He replied.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

**A/N: still on the short side, but this was 3 pages in Microsoft Word….I'm rather proud of myself. **

**What did you think? Will Matt keep his promise? What is your favorite thing about this pairing?  
Please Review!**

**SPOILER ALERT: NEXT CHAPTER WILL CONTAIN HUMOR AND FLUFF**


	8. Advice

**A/N: Okay, okay, I know this is a few days late, and I'm sorry, I really am. I'm trying to stick to my schedule…but I had finals and whatnot and a severe Deviant Art addiction (Anyone here have one? Mine's .com)  
_**

Chapter 8: Advice

Matt's recovery was quite slow, but it progressed well. Eventually he was taken off his medication as well as allowed to go back home, if he took it easy; and with Matt's slacker personality, it was no problem, it just gave him an excuse to goof off and play more video games. Mello noticed something rather odd though, instead of dangling around his neck like they always had, Matt's goggles were always on his eyes, every time he saw him.

Did he even sleep with them on? Come to think of it, he hadn't even seen Matt's emerald green eyes since before the accident. He hadn't gone to visit Matt the day the bandages were taken off of his face, he had a test. Was Matt's face so badly burned that it damaged his eyes? Was he disfigured? Surely, had he been burned, it would have effected more of his face than just his eyes wouldn't it?

Before he could ask, Matt had spoken. "Look…Mello…can you help me out with something?" his oversized boots scuffed the linoleum floor of the hallway as he shifted his feet, his begoggled eyes not meeting the blonde's

"What?" Mello asked hesitantly. He'd never seen the redhead behave like this before.

"You're really popular with the girls and all…and see…there's this girl…and I really like her…and—."

"Let me guess." Mello cut him off. "You want to know how to get her to like you."

"Yeah." Matt said.

"Well-." Mello began.

"No no! Not here! There are people here!" Matt blushed until his cheeks almost matched his hair.  
C'mon." he lead Mello out to the third floor balcony, climbing over the railing carefully before hopping down onto the Library roof.

"What it we—," Mello spoke up.

"Relax." Matt cut him off. "Nobody is gonna find us, we're not going to get in trouble. I come up here to smoke all the time." He said casually.

"Smoking? Matt—I swear to God when you—."

"Will you calm down?" Matt laughed. "It's a little habit I picked up after the accident."

"Whatever…" Mello rolled his eyes. "Anyway, back on topic…what you do, is be really nice…smile at her, y'know…tell her she's pretty or something. Then it's all in the eyes and in the smile, practice it in the mirror or something, it's how you reel 'em in, and once you've got liking you, kiss her." Matt only blushed more.

"Don't tell me you haven't kissed a girl yet?" Mello fought back a laugh.

"Shut up…" Matt looked away. "I-I dunno how…" he bit his lip. Mello tried several times to explain, but only succeeded in further confusing his comrade.

"Err…it's not something that can be explained…you just…it's like—…" he tried to explain once more, growing more and more frustrated at each failed attempt. "Like this!" with his newfound frustration, he yanked the back of Matt's head back, making the redhead drop his half-finished cigarette. Mello then forcibly smashed his lips against the slightly younger boy's, and while he stared wide-eyed into Mello's icy eyes, Matt began moving his lips as well to return the kiss.

After a few moments, Mello pulled away. "L-like that." He said breathlessly. "It was just practice! Don't get any ideas!" he added as Matt still stared on in shock.

"Yeah…just practice." Matt nodded. "Tell anyone about this, and I'll make damn sure you never see another chocolate bar again," he warned, standing and starting to walk away. "And Mells?" he turned back. "Thanks. You really were a big help. Now I'm gonna go try it out on Raine." He grinned and hurried off.

"Just practice." Mello said to himself, unsure of what had come over him. That kiss had been so…so…different. Normally a kiss was just a kiss in his perspective, but this one left his stomach in knots as the taste of Matt's cigarette still lingered on his lips, sending a tingling sensation throughout. "No…nonononnono!" he gripped at his hair, shaking his head furiously. "I am NOT GAY!"

In truth, he really wasn't. He enjoyed looking at the dirty magazines and websites the other boys had managed to sneak past the filters and staff at Wammy's. He enjoyed spending his time with girls, flirting and making them go all ga-ga over him, but then there was Matt. Matt, always true to his word, Matt, with the messy red hair and the dazzling green eyes, with his own opinions and no fear of sharing them. Rebellious, mysterious, Matt. He was Mello's everything, and Mello hadn't even realized how much Matt truly meant to him until he almost lost him.

It was no mistake, he finally realized, he loved Matt. There was no way around it, the feelings were there. The only problem was: he was his roommate and best friend. His STRAIGHT roommate and best friend. What would become of their friendship had he mentioned it? No, there was too much between them to even think about the possibilities. He only had one choice: to remain in secrecy, and pray the romantic feelings would fade away.  
_

Matt returned to his room late, grinning. Raine had said yes, Roger was allowing him to order a new video game, nothing could be better. He crept across the room, careful not to wake the sleeping blonde, his nose buried in his book, exhausted from his studies.

"Typical Mello…" he snickered quietly, stripping down to his boxers before crawling into bed. The day's events playing through his head, one scene in particular: when Mello kissed him. It may have only been practice, but it made his heart flutter. His lips tingled just at the thought of it.

He tasted like candy.

**A/N: I really hope this wasn't OOC…  
It's literally my first attempt at fluff with this pairing. What did you think?  
Please review!**


	9. Curiosity

**A/N: So, this is Chapter 9, and I am so grateful to all of my reviewers thus far**. **So, I feel it only fair to actually thank them here: a big thanks goes out to (in no particular order)- CatatonicVanity, Anonymous Tokumei No, nessk(anonymous), brightnight003, Okirimono, somebodykillme, nuu1(anonymous), and SarahSyringe. YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!**

Chapter 9: Curiosity

The weeks crept by, slowly turning into months. The memory of that day was still fresh in  
Mello's mind, at least once a week; he re-lived it in all its vividness in his dreams. Sure, he had girlfriends to occupy his time, but none of them made him feel the way he did during that kiss. No, those feelings weren't going away at all, instead they were growing stronger by every passing day.

But he didn't seem to mind, in fact, he and Matt were so close that they were accused of being lovers more than once. It would always make Mello blush for a moment before his temper flared, not for being accused of being gay, but for the accusers almost giving away his secrets, even if completely unintentional. Matt, on the other hand, always found it hilarious and would either begin laughing hysterically or making some snarky comment to insult whoever it was.

In fact, the feelings Mello had for Matt were not the matters that loomed in the back of his mind. Rather, it was the simple question that he could not answer that drove him insane, lying awake into the wee hours of the morning wondering: why Matt wore those goggles. Whenever he'd ask, Matt would only avoid the question, looking away or changing the subject if not completely drowning him out with his Play Station.

His curiosity grew so strong that he was determined, whether Matt wanted to cooperate or not, he would find out why the hell he wore those stupid orange-tinted goggles. He waited for the opportune moment, which happened to come by during lunch. Matt had become so immersed in playing whatever it was on his PSP that he'd stopped answering Mello. It wasn't a rare occurrence really, whenever he got a new game that was really good, nothing in the world could pry him out of his little gamer world.

Mello glanced around, inching closer to Matt before lightly tugging on the leather strap.  
The redhead still did not notice. Before he had a chance to, the blonde yanked off the goggles. Immediately, Matt snapped out of his videogame induced trance and whirled around, his green eyes ablaze as Mello and all of the nearby bystanders gasped. Right around his eyes, there were several web-like scars where glass had obviously shattered and fell on him as well as some discoloration over his right eye where he had been burned in the fire.

"Mello…" he gasped in disbelief, snatching back his orange-tinted safe haven, strapping them to his face.

"Matt! I- I just—I didn't mean—." The blonde stammered, blushing.

"Aww Matt," Linda, like a hawk, came out of nowhere. "What happened? Was it from the accident? I didn't know…" she tried to comfort him.

"I'm fine Linda, I just…I have to go." He stormed out of the dining hall as if his heels were on fire. In his haste, he'd left his PSP sitting on the table.

"FUCK." Mello said under his breath. His chances with Matt had gone from slim to nonexistent.

"To think I liked you." Linda hiss at him, jutting out her bottom lip before turning her nose up and turning on her heel, her paint-covered smock swaying slightly as she walked away. The fact that Linda, irritating Linda whom he couldn't stand had a crush on him didn't even matter, she, as well as everything else, hell, even beating Near, was not important at the moment. The only important thing going through Mello's mind was the fact that Matt probably _hated _him now.

He buried his head in his hands, running his fingers through his long blonde hair.

How in hell was Matt ever going to forgive him?

**A/N: Please review!**

**I'm reviving the chapter questions! This chapter's question: Why do you like the pairing Mello x Matt?**


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